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Billboard

"Stars of CCTV" is that rare British import that lives up to the advance billing.

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Dot Music

The triumphant "Star's Of CCTV" will be to guitar bands what The Street's "Original Pirate Material" was to the UK urban music: essential listening.

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musicOMH.com

It possesses that raw energy that was present in two other exciting debuts, Is This It? by The Strokes and Definitely Maybe by Oasis.

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New Musical Express

The wonder of 'Stars...' is how magnificently alive all this suburban angst sounds.

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Lost At Sea

Archer and friends deserve praise for making an album so rooted in its locale so appealing to a wider audience due to the never-ending amount of catchy hooks and melodies on display on Stars Of CCTV.

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Entertainment Weekly

An album of tight and spiky blue-collar dance rock. [17 Mar 2006, p.114]

Q Magazine

A rousing debut. [Aug 2005, p.123]

NOW Magazine

These guys are passionate about what they're doing.

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Austin Chronicle

Fuses the chavvy charm of working-class Britain to a stream of anthemic, pure pop melodies in the service of pissed and pissed-off youth worldwide.

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Stylus Magazine

For fans of indie-rock with a poppy slant, Stars of CCTV is an absolute necessity.

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Pitchfork

Despite some interesting accoutrements (tasteful trumpets yay, bombastic strings meh) and some game attempts at eclecticism (acoustic pluck wicked, piano ballad oh geez), Stars of CCTV is of a part with the varied guitar-driven stuff that their fellow Mercury nominees-- Bloc Party, Kaiser Chiefs, etc.,-- have offered folks this past year.

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The Guardian

Hard-Fi's edge over more derivative rivals lies in a formula that delivers old Specials and Clash reggae vibes with the big-tune ratio of a boy band.

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Uncut

The likes of "Hard To Beat" and "Cash Machine" jack not just the offbeat skank and dubby bass of The Specials but some of their creeping dread and downbeat humanity as well. [Aug 2005, p.92]

All Music Guide

Hard-Fi's desire to create something solid enjoyable in the midst of everyday monotony is what makes Stars of CCTV an enjoyable first effort.

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PopMatters

Exciting, catchy and highly promising.

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Under The Radar

Hard-Fi don't quite have the lyrical prowess or songwriting chops yet to make the dent they'd like. [#13, p.92]

Rolling Stone

Their Clash-inspired punk funk bites music ideas from the Specials and the Happy Mondays, but singer Richard Archer gets his songs from street life, dead-end jobs, run-ins with the law.

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Blender

A slice of British street life with strut, and guitars. [Apr 2006, p.112]

Playlouder

Musically there's nothing on 'Stars of CCTV' that stands out as particularly innovative or imaginative[;] it's above average modern indie fare made with gusto by people who want to make records that sound like the records they like: The Clash, The Specials, The Verve and a bunch of other bygone Britpoppers.

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Slant Magazine

Cribbing from Franz Ferdinand's sonic playbook (with a healthy dose of fellow revivalists Dead 60s, Kasabian, and--why not?--Kaiser Chiefs thrown in), Hard-Fi builds roiling, angsty anthems built upon Richard Archer's stark evocations of life in suburban London.

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Tiny Mix Tapes

There isn't much about Stars Of CCTV that hasn't already been done and better.

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Mojo

A steely-eyed desperation to succeed is transparent all through Hard-Fi's debut. [Aug 2005, p.112]

What Our Users Said

The average user rating for this album is 8.5 (out of 10) based on 36 User Votes

Note: User votes are NOT included in the Metascore calculation.

Edward M gave it a10:
Probably the most energetic album I've heard in the last 5 years. It takes a few listens to fully appreciate, but after that you'll be hooked.

Lucky gave it a10:
A great combination of punk, reggae, dance, and ska. Definitely worth checking out.

Cat gave it a9:
Surprisingly good. One of the better debuts in recent times.

Shay gave it a9:
I'm stunned at how good this album is, considering I had no idea who these guys where and if it wasn't for a co-worker of mine (a girl) recommending them to me I would of missed out on this incredible album. Anyway, Buy it! You won't regret it.

Mike gave it a10:
Awesome debut

J J gave it a9:
Really cool album. Fun and energetic, also very addictive. Can't wait for there 2nd album.

Meat Bag gave it a10:
Wow!! This album is amazing. The only reason I listened to it was because one of my friends recommended them to me. At first they sounded abit to much like the Clash, who are by the way, my favorite band!! So, by my 4th time through the album, I realized these guys are really, really good. They do a great mixing punk with reggae, dance, jazz and ska which ends making this album a great listen. Living for the Weekend, Better Do Better, Unnecessary Trouble, Move On Now are really amazing songs but to me the standout tracks are Middle Eastern Holiday, awsome song. Which reminds me alot of the Police, and Tied Up Too Tight which is without a doubt the best song on the album, is epic, powerful, & uplifting, and one of the best songs in years. Overall, Hard-Fi has tremendous potential, and this album proves it. There a long, long way from reaching the greatness of the Clash but...I wouldn't be surprise if one day they end up making there own "London Calling".

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Stars Of CCTV

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